WORTH NOTING – This is only NFA’s second state championship appearance. The Wildcats lost the 1998 state final to Southington, 54-26. …This is NFA’s second playoff appearance under Davis. …NFA’s Outlow, a junior, has Division I offers from Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State, Florida, Michigan, Boston College, Oklahoma (among others) …NFA’s kicker Elisa Formiglo could be the first female to play in a Connecticut state championship game (provided NFA scores) …Xavier’s Tim Boyle is committed to play at Boston College. …Xavier has scored 526 points per game and allowed 203. It outscores its opponents by an average margin of 44-17. …NFA has scored 456 points and allowed 139. It outscores its opponents by an average of 39-12. …Since trailing Hillhouse 49-21 in the fourth quarter of a Week 6 meeting, Xavier has outscored its opponents 246-65.

OUTLOOK — NFA has gone from relative obscurity to dangerous championship contender in just two games. They announced their presence when coach Jemal Davis deliberately went over the ‘score management’ policy in a 51-0 victory over Stamford and suspended himself under the rule’s guidelines the following week. He might have been correct in insisting keeping his starters in late to ‘better prepare them’ for the challenges ahead. Though many of their victories in the ECC weren’t as impressive, beating SWC champion Newtown 63-21 and, even better, beating FCIAC champion Staples 30-28 just four days later made them their most-talked about team in these state playoffs. They’re big up front, have a potential Division I back in Outlow, and the quarterback and receivers are scrappy. This is a hungry and determined football team. Xavier, their opponents, didn’t rip through the SCC like it did the previous two seasons. A 40-20 loss at home vs. Hand cost them their No. 1 ranking. They were down 49-21 in the fourth quarter vs. Class M finalist Hillhouse in Week 6. But Xavier rallied to win that game 50-49 and have been on a tear ever since. Berry is one of the state’s top backs, Boyle-to-Luster is an impossible pitch-and-catch combo to contain. Crushed by injuries at midseason, the defense, led by Tylki and Luster, is healthy and perhaps a bit underrated during the Falcons’ . Up front Xavier matches, if not exceeds NFA in size. If they weren’t focused already, Staples loss to NFA should have woken up this group. They know they have a formidable task. Expect NFA to play the defending champions tough, but Xavier’s been here too many times to be denied.